Medication weight Gain

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Karyn71
Karyn71 Posts: 2 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I started taking antidepressants tablets 6 years ago and have put on 5.5st which is just horrid. I have never been this weight before and would need help to motivate myself. Is there anyone else in this position???

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  • donnarooney663
    donnarooney663 Posts: 59 Member
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    Hi there if your medication has caused weight gain u should try cutting out eating late at nite crisps juice choc etx and try exercise
  • fontes830
    fontes830 Posts: 58 Member
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    @Karyn71

    Similar situation as yourself, but after talking to my doctor we devised a good plan. I've lost roughly 9 lbs in less than two months thankfully.

    Feel free to add me as a friend. I still have roughly 6 or 7 lbs until I feel like my old self again. Exercise and minor calorie deficit has done wonders.

    Cheers :) all the best! <3
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
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    I also take a med that caused me to put on weight - about 30 pounds in 6 months. At that point I decided something needed to be done. I joined MFP and started following the recommendations. Really keeping tight track of what I eat (logging), eating at a calorie deficit (around 1500), and getting exercise 5-6 days a week has helped to take off about 20 lbs so far. It took me nearly a year for that. It might be slow going because of the medication, but it can be done!
  • DianePK
    DianePK Posts: 122 Member
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    I can completely empathise. I take medicine that causes weight gain, and it is a constant uphill battle, but worth it. I also started to take a natural medicine, called Nuvexa, which prevents your body absorbing fat (it works a little like Xenical without the side effects and is a 1/3 of the price. It's really helped to counter the other medicine's effects. If I am completely determined and stick to a low fat vegan diet, and exercise I can lose weight. I have also stopped drinking alcohol, which depressing any way, as it has many empty calories.
  • HippySkoppy
    HippySkoppy Posts: 725 Member
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    OP - I feel your pain and many years ago found myself in the same situation where meds and my lack of insight to the extra hunger the medication created lead me to lots of over eating.

    My suggestions would be the following:
    Speak to your Dr about changing to a weight neutral anti-depressant, there are many now on the market that claim to not have the weight gain side effects of older meds.
    Start on MFP - log in your stats. get a set of kitchen scales and weigh and log everything you eat meticulously, in grams.
    I found that the meds. I took made me very hungry for quick release/high calorie carb type foods. I have nothing against any food macro but just be aware that for you too you may simply be wanting and eating loads more calories in the form of sweets, biscuits (cookies), breads, muffins etc etc and they pack a punch.
    I found changing my diet helped somewhat, by making sure I was getting sufficient protein and fats and filling vegetables with lots of fibre it was much easier to control cravings and the calories.
    I also started walking a lot...at the time I was 278 lbs so it was the safest exercise I could do.

    Bottom line is the combination of awareness and maybe tweaking your macros for satiety combined with exercise will greatly improve you chances of losing the unwanted lbs.

    Be patient and persistent. It has taken you 6 years to put this weight on, so it going to be a long haul to get it off. It took me around 4 years to lose 168 lbs....

    I wish you all the best.
  • DianePK
    DianePK Posts: 122 Member
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    FYI I am not spamming, I just wanted to share my strategies to lose weight with the odds stacked against you from medicine. I also take a beta blocker for anxiety, which affects training, I have to take it after exercise.
  • AliceAxe
    AliceAxe Posts: 172 Member
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    careful with the Nuvexa, that it doesnt affect your absorbtion of fat soluble vitamins, that could be dangerous

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